Carista/OBD Port Question

Just got my Carista and hooked it up.

When I pulled it off, something else came off too. It looks like another adapter that’s wired behind the dash (hopefully I attached the photo correctly).

A guy in a YT video didn’t have this piece, just the white OBD port. For me, this wired adapter was plugged into my white OBD port. Then I had (unknowingly) plugged my Carista into the adapter.

Does anyone else have this too? Just wondering if it’s normal, or if the dealer is doing some sort of Big Brother stuff lol.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/comments/pvsvv6/saw_this_plugged_in_to_my_obd2_portis_someone/

Based on the comments the consensus is that it’s a GPS tracker. Is your vehicle leased? I actually do think that your dealer is “doing some Big Brother stuff”. Or, it could be part of the “security” they offer, etc.

This could also be used to power a dash cam or other accessory not as suspicious as a GPS tracker.

Follow the wires and see if you can learn more. I suggest unplugging it permanently. If asked, you can indicate that it must have fallen out.

 

OP:
Go through your window sticker and all sale docs, and look for any "dealer installed" options.
Confirm there are[not] any.
Trace the wire from this ODBII adapter to whatever it leads to (me? I'd disassemble 1/2 the truck, if I had to, to know what this is).

Raise hell @ dealership once you know what it is, and if in fact it astonishingly turns out to be a tracking device, find a good lawyer.
*tin foil hat off*

Unless I'm completely removed from reality, no brand new Tundra comes from the factory (no matter the option installed) with anything like this.

I'll assume it's something you bought even if you're not consciously aware of it...........otherwise - wow, I'm somewhat speechless.

 

Even if the vehicle is leased - is this legal?

 

Where Do Car Dealerships Put GPS Trackers?
Buy here pay here used car dealerships own a vehicle until it is paid off and the pink slip has been transferred. That means until the final payment is made a car dealership can repossess a vehicle if an auto loan payment is missed. But that might leave many people investing in a new car asking, “Where do car dealerships put GPS trackers?”. The answer is simple: car dealerships will hard-wire a real time GPS tracker to the 12-volt system of the vehicle so the tracking device will pull power from the car’s battery. This allows the car dealership to never worry about battery life and provides the ability to quickly locate the automobile if a loan is in default.

All of this sounds super sketchy. “Repo Man” sh** lol

super glad you found this OP. If you hadn’t been using Carista you might have never realized this. Something is being powered in your vehicle that you may not have approved, and may be providing data to someone else.

 

Vehicle is not leased, but is financed through Toyota. No dash cam. Unplugging it didn’t seem to break anything, so will be doing that until I have time to follow the wires.

I vaguely remember the sales guy mentioning it had some sort of LoJack-like system (this was last summer). He mentioned the brand, and when I Google’d it, it was a tracking technology for dealers, not consumers. I bet that’s it.

Will look at the paperwork tonight after I get the kids down.

 

Most likely; false alarm then....but hey, at least now you know.

 

surprised you dont got toyota app or robocop banging down your door that you removed that obd connection, if a thief indeed stole your ride, all they had to do was pull that obd2 off??? doesnt seem that great of a product then

 

Ive got something similar for my "TheftPatrol" GPS tracking. Dealer might have just left it installed even if you didnt pay for it or they snuck the charge in and youre now the proud owner of a vehicle tracking device. Mine is quite useful....I can set geo fences, run obd2 diagnostics and track speed/heading real time.

 

My Tundra is equipped with an Apex system. Don’t know if that is what is in your vehicle. It allows me to track my truck and disable the ignition system. But when I installed a device via the OBD port I did not see anything that your pics show.

 

Same, except I can’t do diagnostics… I’ll have to check.

 

my tracker uses a t-harness...not a plug like OP's. Might be how yours is wired as well. If you drop the panel where the obd2 port is at, youll likely see it.

 

Ditto. I’m sure that how the Apex app is able to monitor tire pressure, mileage, fuel level and voltage. In addition disable the vehicle’s ignition system. It’s designed per the dealer, to disable the vehicle when it comes to a complete stop for safety purposes.

 

just be happy they didnt do a hack job to wire this in and just use an adapter to run the device.

 

Sooo here's what happened... I live on the border. Mexico is a 15 minute drive away. Turns out some of the dealer's employees were working with the cartels. They'd put GPS trackers into higher-value vehicles, and pair them with a blank key fob they'd hold on to. After some time, they'd locate the vehicle, and take off across the border with it. Luckily I live on base.

Also, that's totally made up. Turns out I have an anti-theft system and the dealer never gave me any information about it

 

Are you able to use it now? Is it subscription based?

 

Yes. It’s been active for 6 months. The paperwork I got today says it expires after a year. So that’s awesome!

My kids are under 4 (ie- not driving it). So the only feature I’d really use is the theft mode. And I haven’t needed it. So I’m not going to lose sleep over missing half the trial.

 

Are you sure?
Your dealer seems to have had doubts.

 

Uhm. 5-0 here. And also a strong constitutionalist (like most cops). If you are involved in an "incident" let's just say, we can apply for a warrant for this information from your truck. Meaning the government can see exactly where you've been, likely how fast you were going, how long you were going, the list goes on. We can also do the same with your cell phones...but that's another story.

Keep this in mind if you smoke a pedestrian somewhere and "we" want to see where you've been....

 

This looks like the plug for the Garmin dash cam or other cams that have a parking feature and need power. Is there a dash cam in the truck?

 

Found this plugged into the OBD port in my 2020 Tundra bought used from a Toyota dealer this summer.

 

So far the Toyota dealer, in writing no less, told me that the truck had a transmission cooler when it does not and failed to tell me what this doo dad is. And while I'm at it, they sold it to me with an aftermarket windshield, which they just put in, which caused the collision system to fail and give a warning on the dash. They did replace it with an OEM windshield which was a minor miracle as Toyota glass is hard to come by these days.

 

An Airtag is much less expensive than the LoJack (approx $1500 IIRC) garbage the dealer offers.